


Sword, Mirror and Gems

by lilacsigil



Category: Long Live the Queen (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-25
Updated: 2015-04-25
Packaged: 2018-03-25 15:36:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3815743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilacsigil/pseuds/lilacsigil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The newly-crowned Empress Junko selected handsome musician Togami for her harem. She did not expect him to try to kill her. A tale of love and ambition.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sword, Mirror and Gems

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anaraine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anaraine/gifts).



The late Empress's concubines knelt at the base of the dais. The eleven handsome men were no longer dressed in their beautiful silk robes, and their jewels and elaborate hairstyles were gone. Instead, their heads were shaven and they were dressed in funereal white. Attending the inheritance of the Sun Gem and the subsequent coronation of the new Empress or Emperor was their last official duty before they were sent off to monasteries to live out their days. Junko's father was among the concubines and, as she passed him on her way onto the dais, caught her eye and gave her a tiny, encouraging nod. It was only a moment, but his kindness was enough to renew her strength. She could hardly bear the thought that no-one would speak her mother's name again, referring to her only by her reign-name, but her father's gesture reminded her that despite her loss, she was not alone. 

Junko was third in the queue of her siblings and half-siblings, lined up in order of age. The Sun Gem would likely choose one of the late Empress's children as her successor, though it was possible that it would not respond to any of them and the rest of the court would take their turn to present themselves to the gem, in order of seniority. Junko's own grandfather had been chosen in such a way, though it was far more common for the eldest child of the last ruler to inherit. Junko hoped that the gem would choose her eldest brother, Kiyoshi. He was an intelligent and thoughtful man whose studies in agriculture had already helped their mother stave off a famine. She knew, though, that Kiyoshi wasn't the one hoping to be chosen: that would be the next sibling in line, their half-sister Aya. She was an accomplished swordswoman who resented their mother's cautious and diplomatic rule, and had strong opinions on the outer domains and their general reluctance to acknowledge their Empress and pay their taxes. Junko herself might be an accomplished musician but that was hardly a good reason to choose her as ruler.

Kiyoshi, as the eldest, was the first to place his hands over the silver filigree cage that contained the Sun Gem, released from their mother's body at her death. Junko could hear the entire court holding their collective breath, but the Sun Gem did not glow. Kiyoshi was not chosen, and despite his carefully neutral face, Junko could see from the slope of his shoulders that he was relieved. Aya took to the dais next, her usual long strides hobbled by her heavy ceremonial robe, but her back as straight as ever. She placed her strong hands over the cage, but again the Sun Gem did not respond. Taking a deep breath, Junko followed her siblings to the dais. She truly hadn't thought that she might have to go through with this, not with Kiyoshi and Aya taking precedence. The greedy eyes of the court were upon her: Junko was the last of the Empress's children to have already reached adulthood. If a younger sibling was chosen instead, there would need to be a Regent, and the political battles for that position would be titanic. 

As frightened as she was, Junko would not allow her fear to show. She maintained her composure, grateful for the heavy robes and ceremonial make-up, and firmly laid her hands on the silver cage. Expecting nothing at all to happen, she had her eyes wide open when the gem suddenly glowed as bright as the sun, and she staggered at the onslaught. She managed to stay on her feet, and after-images began to appear in glowing, unlikely colours. Junko's mother was there, holding her hands out to Junko as she ran to her embrace. Her mother's touch, combing out Junko's long hair and scolding a maid for pulling too hard at the knots. Her mother's scent was there, a mixture of horses and her kananga and orange perfume, and Junko couldn't understand how she could see a scent, but she could, and see-hear her mother's deep laugh, too. Eyes burning, she gasped for air and suddenly everything condensed into one bright point of light in front of her: the Sun Gem. Someone had opened the cage and Junko reached in with both hands, though the gem itself was not large. An immense noise filled her ears – or her eyes, she could no longer tell – and then the gem was part of her. Her mother's voice was no longer a memory but part of Junko's very flesh. She fell to her knees as the light vanished and the court reappeared in her sight. She could see no faces: every last person was bowed down, forehead to the ground, to greet their new Empress. 

Junko breathed out. "Arise, loyal subjects." 

*** 

"You're going to have to arrange marriages for everyone," Kiyoshi told her, unrolling a scroll. Junko had appointed him, along with Aya, as her chief advisors, just as her own mother had appointed her brother Haruki as Head Chamberlain, a position he held to this day. No-one could argue with the family tradition and Junko had reasoned out loud that ruling Shanjia was far too vast a task for one person. Honestly, though, Junko was mostly relieved to have her siblings close by. Aya had not, in the end, been jealous of Junko inheriting the throne, at least not once she saw the immediate strictures placed on Junko's life. Junko could never be left alone, never travel freely, never take the field of battle except in the case of the ill-defined "Shanjia's day of utmost need". She could not even choose her own clothing for the endless meetings with foreign ambassadors keen to size up the new Empress. Aya much preferred to be Junko's general. 

"I'm not going to force our brothers and sisters to marry. Or you, and can you imagine forcing Aya?" Junko was firm on this point. "None of us were allowed to marry until the Sun Gem had decided which of us was to rule and never marry but since the coronation, there's far too many greedy nobles sniffing around our family. I'm happy to have you match make, but it has to be their choice in the end."

Kiyoshi shrugged. "Mother was the eldest of only two. She did well to have six children of her own, and spread the opportunity around. Speaking of which, have you chosen the first concubines for your harem yet?"

Making a face, Junko sipped at her tea. "It's such a bother. Everyone is throwing their sons at me."

"You'd rather their daughters, like Aya?"

Junko laughed. "Aya may marry whomever she pleases: she's far too sensible to choose someone unsuitable, and I trust you in the same way. But I must bear children to carry the Sun Gem. Or at least try."

"You're nineteen, Jun. Mother didn't have me until she was twenty-six."

"Mother had to wait for Grandfather to die and the Sun Gem to choose her. I'm ready now." Truthfully, she didn't feel at all prepared to choose the men who might father her children, but she hadn't been ready to receive the Sun Gem either, and that had been far more a comfort than a burden, like feeling her mother at her back all the time. "Uncle Haruki has asked me to view a few potential men for the harem this evening. I believe I will attend."

When Haruki had invited Junko to view a few men, it turned out, he meant nearly fifty. The majority of the men were noble, but word had got out about Junko's love of singing and the shamisen, so a number of musicians and dancers from more humble backgrounds had also presented themselves. They had all been assessed for attractiveness, intelligence and health before they even entered the imperial compound, and it made Junko feel a little odd to imagine her own father going through this procedure himself. She must have him brought from the monastery to visit, she thought, as he would likely have good advice for her about dealing with the always-fractious religious orders. 

Her attention had drifted, she realised, as yet another handsome young man with glossy hair and all his teeth was paraded by, this one demonstrating his swordsmanship with a bamboo blade. Junko, under her mother's tutelage, had long ago perfected the art of looking interested while paying no attention whatsoever, so while she did not feel that she had insulted the men's hopes, she resolved to pay more attention. After all, she did not wish to miss an opportunity. 

The next two men were more interesting, as one of them recited his own, notably excellent, poetry, and the other danced beautifully to no music other than the beat of his own feet on the tatami mats. Junko had her maid Arisu note down their names after they had left, but she felt no great attraction to them, or even great interest. It felt so strange to be making such a potentially important decision based on little more than a short audition. If it were not for the Sun Gem's intent feeling or memory of her mother's sharp desire, Junko would have chosen solely on logic, and left feelings aside. 

The forty-eighth man, one of the commoner musicians who had nonetheless passed the assessments, was different. Yes, he was handsome and well-dressed, but so were the forty-seven who preceded him. Junko narrowed her eyes as she gazed at him, and he did not flinch or even lower his gaze in deference. 

"Your Majesty," he said, and bowed, finally breaking eye contact. 

Junko leaned back on her throne, trying not to give her thoughts away, but she could feel the Sun Gem pulsing with the beat of her heart. Why this man, she could not tell. 

He had brought with him a biwa lute, and played it well, though in a folk style that Junko had mostly heard from travelling musicians rather than the more formal court players. The moment he began to sing to his own accompaniment Junko could not do anything but listen. His voice was astonishingly clear and beautiful as he sang a traditional love song from the northern domains. Junko and her Sun Gem both were entranced, and the only interruption was her sting of irritation when one of her guards moved slightly and his armour made a sound. 

"What's his name?" Junko asked Arisu in the long silence after the man left the room. 

Arisu, who did not seem nearly as impressed as Junko, looked at her notes. "Togami. He is a professional musician of no family, taught by the blind masters of the northern lakes."

The school was well-known, at least, even if this Togami had no status or family name of his own. 

"Mark his name. I wish to see him again."

The last two potential concubines had the misfortune of following Togami, and Junko had little time for them, Togami's beguiling voice still ringing in her ears. 

Her uncle Haruki hurried into the chamber after the last man had departed. "Your Majesty?"

"The forty-eighth man. Togami. You may bring him."

Haruki's demeanour transformed from busy chamberlain to concerned uncle. "Are you sure, Junko? He is certainly a talented musician, but not only is he not noble, he has no family whatsoever."

Junko stood and stretched. "Then he won't have interfering relatives trying to worm their way into my favour, will he?"

"A very good point, my dear! Are there any others you wish to consider?"

"Arisu has a list. But bring Togami to me tomorrow night."

Haruki nodded, and Junko departed for her bedchamber, though with every nerve in her body throbbing, she doubted she would sleep.

*** 

The next evening was warm for autumn, and a few late cicadas sang in the gardens. Junko sent her guards outside the sliding doors – they were merely a few steps away – and retained only Arisu in her chambers. Arisu had been her maid since they were both seven years old, and it would feel strange not to have her there, no matter what was going on. Junko was relieved that the long day was over: even though she had given all the matters brought before her as much concentration as she could manage, images of Togami's calloused fingers and slight smile has drifted through her vision, and everyone else's voices sounded coarse and plain in comparison to his. Even patient Kiyoshi had eventually snapped at her when she asked him to repeat the list of lords who with unpaid rice taxes for the third time. 

The night belonged to Junko. She bathed and Arisu dabbed a camellia perfume at her wrists and throat before dressing her in a series of light silk robes, so delicate that the shape of Junko's body was discernable even through several layers. When Arisu reached to unpin Junko's hair, though, Junko caught her hand.

"Leave my hair up. I don't want him to think he has already made a conquest."

"Yes, my lady." Arisu instead neatened Junko's elaborate bun and added silver pins with pale enamelled flowers, to match the delicate pinks and mauves of her robes. Her ceremonial jewels were of brighter hue, but Junko was not looking to impress or overawe Togami: her rank alone could do that. Instead, she wanted him close to her, to hear his beautiful voice speaking to her alone.

There was a tap at the door – the small door that led to the harem – and Arisu rose to bring Togami in. 

He was splendidly dressed in deep red and black robes, his hair styled in the traditional concubine's style that reminded Junko uncomfortably of her own father. 

"Untie your hair."

Togami bowed, but it was not the deep bow that she might have expected. It was more of an acknowledgement that she had spoken, as one noble might bow to another. Junko was fascinated: was this how common people, who knew no rank, thought of her? Her fascination continued as he pulled the wooden pins from his hair and it fell softly around his narrow face.

"Much better. Come, sit by me."

Togami bowed lightly again and knelt on the cushions, closer to Junko than she expected. She could hear him breathing and was pleased to note that his quick breath, at least, gave away that he too was excited and nervous, though outwardly he was entirely calm.

"I enjoyed the traditional song you performed last night," Junko told him, lightly resting her fingers on his wrist. He felt pleasantly warm to the touch.

"Would you care to hear a song of my own composition?" he asked. His speaking voice was almost as charming as his singing voice.

"Yes, I would." Junko let herself sit a little closer again, sliding from a kneeling position to sitting on one hip, her legs tucked to the side. 

Togami began to sing and Junko was hypnotised. His own music was astonishingly beautiful and Junko felt as if she was being swept down a river careless of her own fate, content to go where the current took her. 

It was a casual glance at Arisu that made Junko realise something was very wrong: Arisu had little skill in music but she too was caught up in Togami's song as she never had been when Junko played, not even when Junko had composed a song for Arisu's father's funeral. On sheer instinct, Junko lashed out with the hand that had been resting on Togami's, pushing him away with both physical and magical force. 

To Junko's astonishment, Togami would not be pushed. Instead, he grinned at her. "Ah, I see you are more attuned to your Lumen gem than I thought. Excellent. I do enjoy a challenge."

He swung a lash made of light at Junko, and she blocked it with the first thing to hand, a cushion, which, even backed by her will, exploded into silk fibres all over Arisu. The maid sat unperturbed, still staring blankly at Togami. 

Junko leapt to her feet. "Enough! I presume you have worked your magic on the guards as well."

"I have." He lashed at her again, but she was ready this time to catch the energy and pull it away from him. "It's just you and me, Junko."

Junko was honestly more shocked by him using her name than she was by his attack. "You may address me by my title." She lunged at him with a golden spear she conjured between her hands, but he dodged easily and kicked cushions into Junko's path. She had no idea how this could be happening. There was only one Sun Gem, and that was part of Junko! And yet, Togami had already displayed two of the many skills she had learned herself. However unlikely it seemed, he must have some kind of gem of his own.

Togami created a prison of glass around Junko and she hit her hands against it in a futile attempt to escape. She took a deep breath to still the panic and turned her thoughts inward, to the Sun Gem and her mother. Togami was nobody; Junko was the culmination of all who preceded her. She smashed the prison with the force of a diving cormorant and threw the shards at him in a flurry of blades. He made them disappear in a puff of smoke, then he reappeared across the room, shooting a gleaming black arrow at Junko. She caught it – "Good girl" her mother whispered – and snapped it in half as she raised one hand, beckoning.

"I'm not coming closer," Togami sneered, though his breath was short and there was a tiny cut on his forearm. 

"I'm not calling to you," Junko replied, and rest of her Imperial regalia flew to her hands: the sword and the mirror, to match the jewel that was part of her body. Togami looked puzzled, but quickly launched another attack, sending stinging sand to blind Junko, followed by a lance of light.

Calmly, Junko reflected the light back at Togami, and followed with a wide sweep of her sword. She might not be as skilled as her sister Aya, but she knew how to hold a weapon; in particular, this weapon. The handle of the sword and the handle of the mirror both held a tiny fragment of the Sun Gem, connecting Junko directly to every one of her ancestors and channelling their strength and wisdom through her form. 

Togami fell before her, and Junko advanced on him, sword and mirror at the ready. 

"How are you doing this?" he gasped, crawling backwards to escape her. "You've only had that gem for a month!"

"But the gem has known me for much longer." Junko stood over him and rested the tip of the sword over his heart. "You do not just face one woman: you face my mother, and her father, and Emperors and Empresses all the way back to the dawn of Shanjia."

Togami stopped crawling and stared up at her, fascinated. "I didn't know that was possible."

"You are a small man with small ambitions." Junko tilted her head to the side, considering. Togami had tried to kill her, but she still felt more interest than fear. "But you have a beautiful voice, and I very much want to know how you have a gem. What did you call it?"

"A Lumen."

Junko removed the sword, then knelt down and placed the mirror over Togami's heart instead. "Swear fealty and you will live." She glared at him. "The mirror will strike you down if you swear falsely."

Togami had to close his eyes for a moment and his voice shook slightly, but he had the strength to look directly into Junko's face as he spoke. "I swear my life in service to you and no other, Junko."

"I accept." 

Junko sighed and looked around the room. It was a mess, with silk threads everywhere and burn marks on the screens. Junko was sure that she looked no better: her robes were torn and she could feel that her hairstyle had slipped to one side. "Arisu!"

At her name, the maid looked up, dazed. "Yes, my lady? What – what happened?"

"Togami and I are going to the tearoom. Please make sure we are served immediately." 

Arisu bowed, utterly confused, and Junko swept out of the room, Togami following in her wake.

Having returned the regalia to their place of honour in the throne room, Junko led Togami to her private tearoom nearby. It wasn't as grand as the official tearoom, instead designed for quiet appreciation. 

"Did you have any sisters?" she asked Togami.

"No, but there were many girl orphans at the music school, and we were raised as brothers and sisters," he replied, looking confused. 

"Good, then you can fix my hair." She knelt on one of the broad cushions and Togami did as she said, deftly restoring her skewed bun to symmetry. "Now, sit with me. We have much to discuss."

"I suppose you want to know how I found this gem," he said, sounding resigned to the whole affair. 

"Show me it," Junko told him. She had truly thought that her attraction to Togami was simply a trick of this Lumen gem, so was a little rattled to find that his fingers in her hair sent a tiny shiver down her spine; and that she wanted to hear him speak more in his smooth, attractive voice.

A light shone from Togami's chest, and a projection of a red gem with deep purple striations appeared in front of him. It was very unlike the clarity of the Sun Gem, and yet the kinship was undeniable. 

"I was one of the few sighted people at the music school, so I would read to the monks. They had all kinds of strange scrolls there that students had brought them over the centuries. There were stories about shamans in ruined Borealis who had magical gems and ruled over the scattered tribes there. When I was of age, I had to go and see for myself."

"My mother sent expeditions to Borealis and found nothing but barbarians scraping out a meagre existence in the ruins."

"Most of their shamans are frauds, exploiting the fading memories of true magic. It took me over a year to find one who was genuine, and he was deeply paranoid that someone would steal his power. Of course, he was right."

"And his Lumen gem bonded with you? Even though you killed its former owner?" Junko leaned forward, fascinated. There had been a few coups in the long history of Shanjia, and not once had the Sun Gem accepted one of the conspirators as the new ruler.

"It did, immediately. And I used it better than that old fool ever had."

Arisu slid aside the door and brought in tea and sweets. The tearoom had a fireplace for Arisu to brew tea there, but Arisu had correctly intimated, even in her dazed state, that Junko wanted privacy. She placed her tray on the table and backed out, her hair and robes still strewn with silk fibres. 

Junko poured the tea for Togami, who took it with some suspicion, holding his hand over the small cup until it glowed a pale yellow. 

"You needn't worry about poison, at least, not from me or Arisu. If you had lied you would be dead, and likewise, I could not have given a false promise while holding the sacred mirror."

Togami bowed politely over the cup and sipped from it, continuing his tale. "There used to be hundreds of Lumen gems, but now they're scattered and most are lost. The kingdom of Nova used to be an empire itself, when it had many gems, but now they appear to have only two: one held by their Queen, and one by the high-ranked Ursul family."

"It surprises me that there are so many." Junko shook her head and sipped her tea. "To be honest, it surprises me that there are more than one. You must know the legend about the Sun Goddess giving this gem to her son, and sending him to Shanjia to rule."

"Of course, but perhaps more than one god had gems to give to their people." Togami smiled slightly over his teacup. "I've never talked about this with anyone."

"I only talk to my family and Arisu, really. Just because I was chosen by the Sun Gem doesn't mean that everyone wants me as Empress. It would be very convenient for some courtiers if a child happened to be chosen instead." Junko shook her head. "I know you have at least one more Lumen gem. Is it any use to you?"

Togami stared at her. "How did you know that?"

"You said that 'most' of the shamans were frauds – it was a reasonable guess that since you did not say 'all but one', you had found another. And you're still alive, so you must have their gem."

"You're right. I thought for a moment that your Sun Gem was reading my mind."

"It's never done that before, though it certainly would be useful. Maybe a different Lumen could do that?" She reached across the table and caught Togami's sleeve. "If we have a child, it could have a gem of his or her own."

A slow look of anger slid across his face before being replaced by his usual neutral face. He pulled his sleeve out of her grasp. "I swore you my fealty, not my body. I am not your slave."

"You are my subject," Junko snapped, "And you voluntarily entered my harem!" 

"In order to try to kill you! And would you demand this of any subject? My loyalty may now be to you, but my choices are my own." He leapt to his feet and stormed out the door, startling Arisu who was kneeling just outside. 

"Take him back to the harem," Junko told Arisu, then looked Togami in the face. "He is free to leave if he so wishes, though if he stays, I can promise him a great future."

Togami bowed without a word, but went with Arisu. 

*** 

The gem that Togami presented to Junko the next morning was the colour of amber, though its sharp facets belied its organic shades. Despite the gem not being bonded to him, he seemed reluctant to let it out of his grasp.

"So it's true," Kiyoshi said, leaning forward to examine the gem that Togami had placed before the three siblings. "Surely these gems are not all made for war, though. Mother was a woman of peace and diplomacy."

"But I am not," Junko told him, "I think the Sun Gem wants what is best for Shanjia: in Mother's era that was dealing gently with the outer domains while they were strong and we were weak, but now we have a way to bring them into line. Aya, do you think you can use Togami's magic in the field?"

Aya did not respond, so hypnotised by the amber gem that her hands were shakily reaching towards it, breaking her usual physical discipline.

"I think you've found the right wielder for this gem," Togami picked up the Lumen, regret warring with interest in his face, and put it in Aya's hands. There was a bright flash of light and the gem was gone.

"I can feel it." Aya's voice was full of wonder, an openness Junko hadn't heard since they were both very small and their mother was reading them stories.

"Togami and I will instruct you in its use. I may not take the field myself, but two Lumens will be irresistible."

Aya was sounding more like herself now. "We'll only need to take two domains to make the rest fall in line: first one to show our strength, and another to show it was no fluke. Hokuto and Shulin should do it. A summer campaign." She turned to Togami. "Though if these gems can change the weather, maybe we won't have to wait."

"These gems can do anything, if you have the force of will," he replied, glancing sideways at Junko as he spoke.

The next few months proved Togami right. The domain of Hokuto fell to their army during an unexpected dry spell that allowed an early crossing of the raging rivers of spring; the remote domain of Shulin followed, though to their surprise the daimyo there had a Lumen gem of his own. Junko had him executed as a traitor to the throne, and his gem, which did not respond to Kiyoshi, Haruki or any of Junko's younger siblings, went to a lover and trusted general of Aya's. The destruction of Shulin Castle was, as Aya had planned, the final straw for the other recalcitrant domains, who immediately began to pay their rice taxes, sending envoys to the capital with their payments to prove their loyalty. The treasury was full for the first time in generations.

Togami had more than proven his worth, and Junko promoted him to warrior rank, showering him with gifts from gold hairpins to a lavish home on the outskirts of the capital. Togami, though he wore his rich robes and jewellery, preferred to remain as the sole occupant of the harem, much to Junko's frustration. Still, she hadn't found the time to review more potential concubines, despite her uncle Haruki's prompting.

"If he's not interested, why does he stay there?" she asked Kiyoshi.

"Perhaps he is interested, but in the woman, not the Empress," Kiyoshi replied, but Junko shook her head. She knew Togami better than that: he loved power and riches. He wouldn't have cared about Junko as one of many princesses, only now that she had her Imperial rank and the powerful Sun Gem. 

One early summer night, Junko pored over the maps of Shanjia on the huge map table, made for her grandfather from a single mighty cherry tree. She wondered sometimes if Aya should have been the one chosen for the Sun Gem, if it wanted this era to be more warlike. Then again, Aya would never have brought Togami into the palace: she preferred women, and would have done her duty with a politically appropriate choice, not a handsome commoner. No, the Sun Gem had surely understood its own future. She looked over the small merchant nations that dotted Shanjia's borders, isolated enclaves that hadn't truly belonged to any larger country since the collapse of the Novan Empire centuries ago, and further out, to Borealis where Togami had found two Lumen gems. Shulin was close to Borealis and perhaps that's where the rogue daimyo of that domain had found his own gem. Thoughtfully, she spread her hand out over the map and concentrated, trying to let the Sun Gem spread its power across the map as the sun spread its light across the land, illuminating the darkest corners. 

Sparkling marks appeared on the map: many scattered throughout ruined Borealis and surrounding islands, one in an outlying domain of Shanjia – Junko marked that one for Aya's attention – and several small clusters in Nova itself. She couldn't tell how many exactly, due to the scale of the map, but there was no doubt that there were at least five Lumen gems active in Nova alone. 

"I never thought of doing that." Togami's voice came from the doorway. 

"You were on your own. After you found out that you could only use one gem, there was no need for you to keep looking. You did, though."

He stood beside Junko and looked down at the map. "Perhaps I didn't feel as if I had achieved all I wanted. If I had taken the Sun Gem I would have won…respect, I suppose." There was something almost wistful in his voice, something that made Junko think that perhaps Kiyoshi was right after all. He always had been perceptive.

"Respect, you have. And more." Junko reached out, tentatively, and traced the elegant line of his neck with her finger. 

"Are you going to command me, Empress?"

"No. I am going to ask you, in my own name."

Togami touched her hair, then slid his hand to the tender skin at the back of her neck. She shivered, but shed her light cotton summer robe and started to undo the complex ties of his gilded clothing, pulling him down on top of her as she lay back on the map table, the sparkling lights of the distant Lumen crystals tingling against her skin. 

*** 

"Why have you summoned me, my daughter?" Junko's father knelt before her in his plain monk's robes, a far cry from the decorated robes and rich jewels of an Imperial concubine. His head was still shaven, which made him look quite unlike her father, though his voice and his embrace were still exactly as before.

"Please, father, walk with me." Formalities over, they went out into the garden where they had at least the illusion of privacy. 

"Are you with child?" he asked, almost as soon as they were in the autumn maple grove. "You have a look of your mother about you."

"Yes, I am. Do you hear much gossip in the monastery?"

He laughed. "It's worse than the palace! Perhaps we have no dressing up or perfume contests to distract us, so we must gossip all day and night. Thank you for the scrolls you sent us – the poetry was an excellent relief in amongst the doctrine."

"You're very welcome. I thought that perhaps novels would be a bit much for the Abbot, but he can hardly object to poetry, can he? So you've heard about Togami?"

"My dear, everyone in Shanjia has heard about Togami. He's the sole member of your harem so far, so I must presume he's the father of your child?"

Junko sat down on a bench, and her father sat beside her. "Yes, of course he is. But he's with the army at the moment, so I haven't told him yet."

"You could easily send a message." Her father's voice was gentle, but his insight as sharp as ever.

"Yes, I could, but I wanted to speak to you, first. This might sound strange to ask, but…were you happy with Mother? Were you happy with your life here?"

He took Junko's hand. "I was, Jun, very happy. You and Kiyoshi are the lights of my life, and I loved your mother dearly. She was a kind woman, kind to all of her men, and did not keep you from me. That's not all of what you're asking, though, is it?"

"No, it's not. It's – one of the things I admire about Togami is that he refuses my commands. He does not act like my subject. He acts like my equal."

Her father thought about that for a moment. "You mean, you think of him as your equal."

"Yes! That's it! How can I be Empress, and also love an equal, and have this child see that he is of lower rank than me?" 

"There's a very clear answer, my dear, and it's not one that your mother would have chosen. Nor, perhaps, any other ruler of Shanjia. Make him your equal in the eyes of the world as well as in your own eyes."

Junko caught her breath. "But the ruler of Shanjia cannot marry, so as not to share his or her power."

"You are the Empress of Shanjia. You make the law. A year ago, there was only one Sun Gem, a gift direct from the Goddess. That was our tradition, and you easily broke from that."

"There is still only one Sun Gem. The others are different." Junko couldn't help correcting him, but her thoughts were still on Togami. 

"Many centuries ago, Emperors and Empresses did marry, having concubines as well, if their spouse could not give them a child. Think of some of the old songs – they have both Emperor and Empress in the same line."

Junko frowned. "You're right. I never thought about that."

"But most of all, my dear, I don't want you to be lonely. I remember your mother working late into the night, able to order us all away. I remember fearing that one day she would tire of me and I would never see my children again. I never thought of being your mother's equal, but now, I wish I had had some say in her life."

Junko held him tightly, and they sat together in the maple grove until the wind turned cold and they had to hurry inside.

*** 

The ship sailed the coast of Shanjia slowly, allowing the honeymoon couple plenty of time together before they began their royal tour. There had been a minor rebellion in the capital at the announcement of Junko's wedding to Togami and his elevation to Emperor Consort, mostly by the families of noble sons whose hopes were now thwarted, though a few lords who personally disliked Togami were happy enough to join in. Aya and Togami had put down the rebellion with little loss of life, and the rebels had been gracious in their defeat and also in their wedding gifts, one of which was the mighty warship that now took Junko and Togami on their grand tour of every domain in Shanjia, including several new ones. 

"I'm glad we didn't marry three months ago, or I would have spent this entire journey seasick," Junko told her husband. 

"It was the child making you ill. I did not commit myself well on my first night on the ocean." Togami kept his arm around her as they looked out over the sea.

Junko rested comfortably in his embrace, the rough seas and her pregnant belly threatening to overbalance her without his support. "You're fine now. Together we can conquer anything."

"There's a whole world ready for the taking," he smiled, resting one hand on her belly. 

Junko smiled back, and the Sun Gem glowed inside her, making the baby kick. Shanjia was only the first of the gifts they could give their child.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to st_aurafina for the beta.


End file.
